REVIEW: Superman #712

Spinning out of the events of Infinite Crisis… Wait a minute. Wasn’t that from like, five years ago? Yes, faithful Spoilerites, DC Comics is finally telling the tale of what Krypto the super-dog was up to during Infinite Crisis. Take the jump and see if a story that languished in limbo for half a decade earns a spot in your read pile…

Previously, inSuperman: After Tom Welling-Prime punched the walls of reality (which undid the Death of Jason Todd, amongst other things) he fought the current Superboy, aka Kon-El. During this fight Krypto was smacked down, and hurt. Though it’s many years later Krypto’s story is finally being told.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?

After being hurt by his master’s doppelganger, Krypto has slipped into depression since his master is off to save the world yet again. As Krypto reminisces on the good times that have gone past, even a Kryptonian’s Best Friend knows the pain of loss.

For being a tale told from a super powered dog’s perspective, it’s not that bad. But it’s sadly too little, too late. The story itself is quite good, in a basic way. Which means it was a very quick read. But Busiek has always been able to infuse these unrealistic characters with a emotional range that effected me.

This story was sad. It was the tale of a dog missing his master who (SPOILER ALERT!) was killed in Infinite Crisis, and later brought back from the dead in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. This tale would have been much more timely if it was released during Infinite Crisis, but now just comes off as DC Editorial cleaning out all their backlog of unpublished works.

The issues pencils were provided by Rick Leonardi, and the inks were by Jonathan Sibal. I wish I could say these two were a perfect match, but that is sadly not the case. Krypto’s consistency from page to page is totally out of whack, there are times that Krypto resembles a blob rather than a white Dalmatian.

The bipedal characters don’t fair much better. The scenes which feature Superboy, Wondergirl, Nightwing, The Kents, and Superman are all a off. No amount of color can save such weak line structure, and there is a lot of weakness in this particular comics art. That rushed look pushes past acceptable limits, and becomes downright unbearable to look at as the issue chugs along at a very brisk pace.

THE VERDICT: BAD ART CAN KILL

This is a fill-in book. There was another Superman #712 that was going to be a part of the notorious “Grounded” arc that was to feature a Los Angeles based Muslim superhero named “Sharif”, but for one reason or another this “Krypto” issue was put into the rotation relatively at a moments notice. This book is more than 5 years out of context, having been designed to take place during Infinite Crisis, but for editorial reasons it was shelved. The artwork is sub par, and really should not have been published if this was the final product. If this was a rush job that needed to be done in a hurry, than this is one of the worst ones I have seen in a long while.

In the end, this “Lost” Krypto tale failed to deliver. If it was 2006, I may have felt different. But just like putting a cake in the freezer for a few years, and expecting it to taste good. You are only going to be let down like I was for this issue. In closing, Superman #712 receives 2 Stars, out of 5.

The Author

Larry King

It is hard being a King, especially when your first name is Larry. Well, not really. In Larry’s Kingdom the re-imagining “Battlestar Galactica” is superior, “The Wire” is the greatest crime show ever, and “ROM, Spaceknight” is the hero of the realm.

As an old geezer that grew up with the Superboy and Adventure Comics ANYTHING with Krypto in it is good for me. With all the angst and world shattering “fighty fighty” that happens in most comics now (both DC and Marvel) it’s nice to have a reminder, just a sliver of a reminder, of something from a simpler time. A time when there was actually a “Legion of Super Pets” long before there were the “Pet Avengers”.

Conner Kent’s path through the comics has been so damn convoluted and warped by bad 1990’s costumes, plots and death (due to legal wrangling) that it took all the fun out that they managed to briefly catch…that the character of Superboy, whether it was Clark Kent or Conner Kent, was basically that of a “boy and his dog” albeit a boy and his dog that could crush mountains and shoot lasers from their eyes. I had hoped that the “relaunch” of that character would enable them to get rid of the legacy of the members only leather jackets and Shawn Michaels sunglasses and focus on him as a young man who is just coming into his own as far as his Kryptonian powers, who learns the complex lessons of life in more simple terms. (And then won’t go before the United Nations and spit on his adopted country…hell, yes, I’m still pissed about that storyline…)

The interesting plot vehicle for Conner Kent is that he’s NOT a complete clone of Clark Kent and that means that he doesn’t have to mirror the “Tom Welling” that grew up in Smallville. Of all the characters announced for the DC Relaunch there are two that I regret seeing the directions that their new writers are talking about taking them…Superboy and Martian Manhunter. Jonn Jonzz should be in Stomwatch like I should be in PETA…it just ain’t right.

I haven’t read this yet, but I’m pretty eager to do so despite this review. :D I’ve long-since learned how to cope with artwork i’m not fond of, and the “continuity-nerd” in me is intrigued enough to see if they made all the pieces fit in the right holes. So, yeah, your mileage will apparently vary, Larry. :)

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